Blog

News

News, ideas, and analysis from J-PAL staff and affiliated professors. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive monthly email updates.

Students taking a test in a classroom

Infinitely cost-effective? Common misconceptions in cost-effective analyses

Cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) can be a helpful tool in comparing programs with similar tools and determining which are likely to provide the greatest return on investment. Although CEAs are not sufficient alone to inform policy decisions, they can be a useful starting point.
The outside of a city hall building.

Promoting upward mobility in partnership with state and local governments

This blog post is part one of three in a series on how state and local governments in the United States can promote upward mobility in their communities. It is part of J-PAL North America’s work to develop a learning agenda that summarizes the core research priorities from state and local...
A group of people stand outside a school.

Reflections on seven years at J-PAL Africa working to inform policy with evidence

By
  • Emily Cupito
After seven years working with J-PAL Africa, I am transitioning to a new role working in local school systems in the United States. Working with J-PAL Africa (and, in recent years, TaRL Africa) has been one of the greatest joys of my life. As I step away, I want to share a few reflections about how...
A young boy wearing headphones writes on a piece of paper in front of a laptop

Building an effective COVID-19 response: Addressing the education crisis

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant reductions in the quality and quantity of schooling across the United States. J-PAL North America’sThe COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience InitiativeCOVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Initiative aims to identify effective ways to support students...
Headshot of a woman

Affiliate Spotlight: Sarah Cohodes on remote education, school reopenings, and student learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

As the new school year begins and COVID-19 cases continue to spread across the United States, questions remain about how to educate students effectively and safely. We sat down with affiliate Sarah Cohodes to discuss the school reopening process, the impact of remote learning on students and parents...
People wearing masks walking along a crowded sidewalk

Building an effective COVID-19 response: A guide for future research

How can policy leaders best support their communities in the face of the joblessness, educational setbacks, and trauma inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic? Rigorous evidence will play a critical role in helping us understand which policies and programs will truly work to help communities recover in...
A teacher sits on the ground in a circle of children. She is demonstrating to a student.

Foundational learning first: a joint statement on education in the time of COVID-19

By
More than one billion students have been out of school due to COVID-19. Data from past crises suggest large and lasting impacts on education, especially girls’ re-enrollment and learning loss. For this reason, J-PAL and partners have recently released a joint statement on the importance of focusing...
A child wearing a mask looks directly up at the camera

Adapting to learning needs in the wake of COVID-19 using data and evidence

By
  • Molly Curtiss
A conversation with TaRL Africa, J-PAL, and the Ministry of National Education of Côte d’Ivoire. Originally posted by the Brookings Institute.